Choke valve borehole indicating system



July 4, 1944. G. L. HASSLER l CHOKE VALVE BOREHOLE INDICATING SYSTEM Filed April 24, 1942 2 sheets-sheet 1 A "Y /1 H Il July 4, l944 G. L. HAssLER 2,352,833

CHOKE VALVEv BOREHOLE INDICATING SYSTEM I Filed April 24, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fgm Patented July 4, 1944.y

2,352,833- n enorm VALVE BonanoLE mmcA'rlNG SYSTEM Gerald L. Bassler, Berkeley, Calif., assignor to Shell Development Company, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of Delaware 'Application April 24, 1942, serial No. 440,405

(ci. z3-51) 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to apparatus for transmitting signals to the surface from an instrument capable of detecting, observing or measuring the nature of the phenomena occurring in a borehole or the nature and characteristics of the formation traversed by said borehole, and pertains more particularly to Aapparatus for transmitting continuously a signal or a series of signals or vibrations through equipment or material in the borehole, such as the mud fluid, drill pipe or the like. y

Various instruments have been proposed for measuring various properties in a borehole, but these devices are open to various objections. Since, lwhen using self-contained recording instruments, there is considerable delay before the record is available to the driller, it has been proposed to use electrical conductors, sometimes together with synchronous motors, such as Selsyn motorsand the like, to indicate immediately at the surface the measurements taken i by the instrument.` Due to the high cost of multi--v wire insulated cables and their limitations with regard to their use in deep boreholes, such systems in many cases cannot be economically employed. y

It is therefore an object of the present invention to. provide a system for continuously indicating at the surface desired characteristics in a borehole Without the necessity of using electrical cables or'cther directly-connecting means.

It is another object to provide a system comprising means to detect or measure a desired characteristic or feature in the borehole, means responsive to said measurements to transmit vibrations through the mud fluid or along the drill stem to the surface, and detecting and indicating means at the surface.

It is another object of this invention to provide an apparatus for transmitting to the surface decipherable signals responsive to the drilling variables such as of Weight on the drill bit, rotational rate of the bit, bottom hole temperature and pressure, etc., whereby the driller may adjust said variables to their optimum values.

Other objects will be readily apparent from the following description taken in reference to the drawings, which illustrate several applications of the present method and apparatus therefor. In the drawings,

Fig. I is a longitudinal sectional view of an embodiment of a device for indicating at the surface the weight actually applied to the drill bit.

Fig. II `is across-sectional view taken along the line II-II in Fig. I.

Fig. III is a longitudinal sectional view taken of a right angle to the view in Fig. I and shows the point of attachment of the strain rod as well as the deformed position of the throttle varies` when a tube or tool is passed therethrough.

Fig. IV is an enlarged view, partially in section, of the throttle control mechanism, which view is taken along an arc as indicated by line IV-IV in Fig. V.

Fig. V is a cross-sectional view taken along the line V-V in Fig. IV.

Fig. VI is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in Fig. I.

Fig. VII is a schematic view of the surface equipment at the well head.

, Fig. VIII is a fragmentary View of the record chart of the mud owmeter.

Generally, the present invention resides in the new apparatus for conducting continuously or for a predetermined period informative or control signals between the surface of a well and a device, such as a measuring or surveying instrument, in the borehole by means of vibrations, such as pressure or true sound waves, transmitted through usual material or equipment present in the borehole, such as through the fluid in the borehole, along the drill stem or pipe or any other suitable sound conducting channel, etc. This present apparatus for obtaining indications at the surface of desired measurements in the boreholes eliminates the use of expensive special signal conducting means, such as electrical cables, insulated drill strings and the like, which take considerable time to properly position in the borehole. Likewise, by means of the present invention, the measurements are instantly available to the driller or operator at the well head so that he may more accurately and efficiently control the drilling variables, such as the weight or load on the bit, rotational rate of the drill bit, bottom hole temperature and pressures, etc., and the positioning of various tools such as packers, liners,.etc., as Well as other operations, which depend on the nature of the borehole.

Suitable vibrations include low frequency pressure waves imparted to the column of drilling fluid in the borehole and for this purpose a throttling valve arranged in the mud flow stream may be used to impart pressure waves to the mud fluid column.

Various instruments and devices can be used with the principle of communication of the present invention. Thus, for example, a temperature or pressure'measuring instrument containing a temperature or pressure-responsive vibration sender may be lowered by means of a wire line down through the drill string while drilling without the use of cumbersome and expensive electrical cables. If desired, such instruments may be incorporated in the drill collar or bit. Batteries or` a rubber propeller in the mud stream may be used to actuate lsaid instrument.

The present device for, reporting the weight,

. theI collar I2 is compressed due to the weight applied thereto is. measured and converted to pressure wave signals by the following control mechanism.

Referring more particularly to Fig. IV, the lower end of the strain rod I is suitably connected, such as by means of a horizontal foot member 8 connected to strain rod I0 by screw 8 and attached to the upper end of a piston I3 adapted to reciprocate in a cylinder la which also forms the upper and and cover for a protective housing I5'. The housing I5 comprises three body elements a, I5b and I5c and is contained in a recess I6 forming an extension and enlargement of the groove II. A reciprocable contact member I8 is connected, preferably semi-flexibly, to the lower 'end of the piston I3,

for example, by means of a bellows I9 lled with viscous oil.

A control micrometer 25 is threadably carried l in the upper body element I5a of the housing and is adapted to be periodically rotated into contact with the contact member I8 which is carried by the strain rod I0. For this purpose a ratchet wheel 26 carried by the micrometer 25 is acted upon alternatehr by an advance pawl 21 and a back-away pawl 28 (Fig. V). These pawls 21 and 28 are carried by a cap member 29'which `rides on an eccentric pin 30 carried on the end of rotating shaft 3l, whereby the cap member 29 and pawls 21 and 28 are reciprocated by the rotation of the shaft. The advance pawl 21 isI formed with a rounded head and upon engagement with the ratchet 26, the micrometer is caused to be moved up lightly against the contact lead member I8 on the strain rod I0. Asv

the circular movement of the pin 30 continues, the advance pawl is retracted and the back-away pawl 28, which has a pointed head, is moved into engagement with the micrometer ratchet 26, whereby the micrometer 25 is quickly rotated a short distance away from the contact head I8.

The lower end of the micrometer screw :251s formed with a drop-off cam ,35 against which is pressed the eccentric drop-oir pin 36l of a rotating member 31 having a gear 38 in meshing en gagement with gear 33 on rotating shaft 3l. 'I'he drop-off member 31 rotates in guide bore 40 and .on an axial bearing or pivot 4I carried by a transverse arm 42 of a vertical reciproc'able latch rod 43 which ls urged upwardly by a coil spring 44. The latch rod 43 extends up to a position f aasacss attached by means of a short chain 45'. chain or other suitable flexible connection prevents the back-away pawl 28 from actuating the .l micrometer 25-when the eccentric pin 36 is about ready to drop oil? from the cam 35.

In the upper end of a vertical bore 50 in the 'lower transverse face of the intermediate housing member lib is a stationary drop-of! cam 5I. A

lower rotating member 52 carrying an eccentric drop-off pin 53 is positioned in said bore 50 and is rotated by means of a gear 54 thereon engaging with a gear 55l on rotating shaft 3l. The member 52 rotates on a pivot 56I carried by a reciprocable latch rod 51 which is urged upwardly by resilient means, 'such as `a coil spring 58. l l

'I'he shaft 3l which rotates the upper and lower eccentric carrying members 31 and 52 is rotated by means of a gear 60 thereon engaging Rotational motion is imparted to said shaft 62 by any suitable means,

- such as for example, a .rubber propeller 63 carried in the mud stream by a shaft 65.(Fig. I), having a universal connection 66 to the shaft 62. The upper end ofthe propeller shaft 65 may be supported by a rod 64, the upper end of which is formed with a'key 64a'adapted to slide in vertical The lower ends of the reciprocable latch rods 43 and 51 are formed with hooks 10 and 1I, re-

spectively, which are adaptedl to engage with latching dogs 12and 13, which are spaced at different radial distances from the axis of the drill collar I2.

Within the drill collar' I2, directly below the latching dogs 12 and 13, are two sets of prefer.. ably exible vanes 15 and 'I6 (Figs. I and VI) which selectively cooperate, as described below,

.to restrict .intermittently the ow of mud fluid l 40 down through the drill collar I2. The lower ends -has a depending lip 18a, enclosing the race-way l 11 and is provided with two radially-spaced transverse annular faces 80 and 8l along which the latching dogs 12 and 13 (Fig.,IV) slide when the vanes 16 are rotated. The rotation of the vanes 16 is normally preventedby means of stops 82a and 82h spaced along the transverse annular faces 80 and 8|, which stops 82a and B2b are so spaced as to be alternately engaged by the latchadjacent the back-away pawl 28 to which it is` 75 ing dogs 12 and 13.

The surface equipment mayA include, as shown in Fig. VIL a mud uid pump' I00,` pressure bell IOI, and va mudfow meter and recorder |02 together with the usual flow lines, derrick, rotary mud hose and swivel, rotary table.' drill kelly, etc.

The illustrated preferred form of apparatus, including the'rubber 'propeller 63 on a flexible shaft 65 and the flexible vanes 15 and 16, permits the introduction andv ,passage therethrough of devices, such as. for example, as shown in Fig. III, a core barrel 95'adapted to cooperate with core bit a for taking core samples.

In operation, mud fluid flowing down through the drill string and drill .collar I2 and out through the drill bit 85 causes the propeller 63,

its shaft 65 and shaft 62 to be rotated, whereby asoaeas shaft 3| together with members 30, 31"'and 52 geared thereto is likewise rotated. The action of the pawls 21 and 28, which are carried by cap member 29 and are .reciprocated by the action of eccentric pin 30 in cap member 29, causes the micrometer screw 26 to be alternately moved up v lightly against the contact member I8 of the weighteresponsive elements, including the strain rod I0,` and then moved quickly away a short dis- At-one point in the operational cycle, the rotatable set of vanes 16 is held against rotation due to time cycle-responsive latching dog 12 catching on a stop 82a on the inner annular face 80 (Fig. IV), when the lower rotating member 52 `has carried the eccentric pin 53 around so that it drops off of the stationary camail, the sudden upward movement of the pivot-carrying latch rod 51 causes the hook 1| on the lower end of said rod 51 to engage with the latching dog 12 and moves the dog 12 out of engagement with the stop 82a, whereby the set of vanes 1li4 is released for rotation to a position at which the other latching dog 13 engages a stop B2b on the uid flow, thereby transmitting a pressure im.

pulse to the well surface, where it may be detected as a rise in the pressure of the mud fluid or decrease in mud flew rate, as designated at H on the record chart Ill shown in Fig. VIH.

Thereafter, the eccentric pin 36 of the upper rotating member 31 drops off the face of the cam 35," at an angular position determined by the weight on the bit in terms of compression of the drill collar i2 as measured by thestrainfrod lil. and the action of the spring 44 causes the rod 43, together with the hook thereon, to move upwardly suddenly, whereby the latching d og 13 is released from engagement with the stop B2b on the collar 18 of the rotatable varies 16. The set of vanes 16 is thus allowed to move out of a mud flow restrainingposition to a position of open mud uid iiow, at which the first dog 12 engages with-a stop 82a on the inner annular face 80. This causes another pressure impulse to be transmitted to the surface, where it may be detected as a decrease in mud uid pressure or an increase in mud fluid flow rate as indicated at I I2 on the record chart l I I shown in Fig. VIII. As illustrated in Fig. VIII, the position of the point H2 between two consecutive points H0 is in direct relationship to the position or turn angle ofthe micrometer screw 25 and is thereby proportional to the weight on the drill bit 35 in terms of the compression of the drill collar l2. In other words, the proportion of the length of the low pressure interval a (from point H0 to H2) of the full cycle interval b (between two points lit) is a measure of the weight on the' drill bit.

It has been found that high blt loads in gen'- eral greatly reduce drilling costs, but such high loads cannot be used without careful control, since they are dangerous to hole and equipment. There is a critical load on the bit which is the optimum for every kind of rock and bit, such that more load or weight will burn out bits and cause too many roundtrips to replace them, and less load will waste time due to the resultant slower drilling. In deep drilling it is not possible to infer accurately the load on the bottom from measurements made at the surface, apparently because the friction of the returning mud causes a lifting effect upon the drill stem, depending on the rate of rotation, etc. Even if the dril1 pipe is balanced by an automatic weight control before rotation is begun, the drill pipe will sometimes belifted out of the hole when the pipe starts to turn without any apparent change vin the rate oi' mud ow. It may be seen that by means of the above-described weight reporter the optimum weight on the bit can be'simply and easily maintained; whereby arming speeds are Y increased and drilling costs thereby decreased.

It is readily apparent that various modifications and variations in such instruments as above described can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention as defined by the accompanying claims. For example, signals responsive to other variables, such as temperatures. etc., which can be converted to an angular position of a drop-off cam, may be transmitted to the surface in a like manner. Thus, the inner free end of a temperature-responsive spiral Bourdon tube may be fastened to a rotatable dropoff cam, whereby changes in temperature are converted to the angular position of the zero point of the drop-off cam, which position can be transmitted to the well surface in a manner similar tothat described above in relation to the weightresponsive transmitter.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a system for continuously obtaining at the surface of a well indications of the weight on the drill bit of a drill string, choke valve means in the lower portion of said drill string, means responsive to ow of drilling fluid through said valve means for rotating said choke valve means through fully open and flow-throttllng positions, latching means normally preventing said rotation of said choke means and adapted to cause said valve means to be alternatively opened and closed as the latching means are temporarily released, an elongated member of relatively small cross-sectional area freely `suspended from its tated into abutting engagement with the lower end of said elongated member, rst drop-off cam means carried by said rotatable screw-threaded member, first rotating eccentric drop-oi pin means adapted to be pressed against said ilrst drop-oil cam means, second and stationary dropo cam means, second drop-oil? pin means adapted to be pressed against said second drop-oli cam means, said first and second drop-ofi pin means being adapted to release temporarily the engagement of said latching means Within said choke valve means when drop-01T occurs, means for rotatlng said eccentric drop-oit' means, and means at the surface of the well for recording the pressure changes of the circulating drilling fluid in the drill string.

2. In a system for continuously obtaining at the surface of a well indications of a desired varying characteristic of the well borehole, a drill string depending into said borehole, choke valve means in the lower portion of said drill string, means responsive to iiow of drilling iluid through said valve means for rotating said choke valve means through fully openand now-throtmeans, second drop-oil pin means adapted to be l tling positions. iatching means normally preventing said rotation of said choke means and adapt'- ed to cause said valve means to be alternatively opened and closed as the latching means are temporarily released, a rotatable member adapted to attain a rotary position responsive to said varying characteristic of the borehole, i'lrst dropoii cam means carried by said rotatable member, rst rotating eccentric drop-'off pin means adapted to be pressed against said first drop-oi! cam means, second and stationary drop-oil c'am pressed against said second drop-oir cam means', said. first and second drop-oi! pin means being adapted to release temporarily the engagement of said latching means within said choke valve means when drop-oil? occurs, means for rotating said eccentric drop-oil-means, and means at the surface of the well for recording the pressure changes of the circulating drilling fluid in the 1o drin string.

GERALD L. HASSLER. 

